Home sales activity remained a pace of 5 million, which is up from the 4.8 million we had seen in October, November, and This Month in Real Estate December 2012. The median home price also rose, up $2,000 from December to $181,000. This number is up 10.1% from the end of 2011, which is generally good for the real estate market. The average interest rose a bit, to 3.37%, which is still extremely low.

In the Top Story, Jay Papasan discusses the Spring Home Shopping Season, and the noted fact that 90% of homebuyers start their searches online, and spend about two months finding the right home for them.

What this says is that the houses that are on the market right now are in the best position to close in early spring, due to that two month lag time.

Please contact me if you are considering selling a home in Baltimore. There are fewer Baltimore houses for sale than usual, so you can beat your potential competition to the market.